Radford High School Principal Jeff Smith faced public backlash last week after writing social media posts many deemed inappropriate in which he personally attacked local leaders.
The posts criticized the decision by Radford City council to replace a pre-meeting prayer with a moment of silent reflection.
Smith, who publicly supported the opponent of recently elected Mayor David Horton, had strong words for the council members who voted in favor of the moment of silence.
His comments were posted to a public Facebook page known as “The Radford Watch.”
The public page and his personal page have since been taken down, but the Radford News Journal received a screenshot of the comments.
“Hardly surprising since an atheist, an agnostic, and a spineless opportunist were elected. You decide which is which; they’re all interchangeable in my eyes. Combine them with an old, out of touch liberal who wants everything to cater to the university, and you see the result. I’m proud of Rob Gropman for his stand,” the post read.
Councilman Gropman was the single vote against the prayer-policy change.
The comments were first brought to the Radford News Journal’s attention at last Monday’s city council meeting when Radford resident Hannah Martin referenced the comments during the public comment portion of the meeting where many residents spoke about their feelings regarding removing the prayer.
Martin said that she was disappointed that a former teacher and principal of hers had used such strong words toward people that he did not agree with.
Horton and Councilwoman Jessie Critterton said that they were made aware of the comments by several concerned citizens prior to the July 9 meeting.
“I had seen them floating around. For those active on social media and Facebook, it was pretty obvious those comments had been made,” Horton said. “I want us to move beyond this. Obviously name-calling is not a good idea, and Radford is better than this. We have bigger things to worry about.”
Critterton also weighed in on the comments made by Smith.
“It’s quite unfortunate. I think it’s unnecessary to address a policy issue on a personal level,” she said. “It does not affect our support of the school system or the school system’s leadership.”
Superintendent Rob Graham wrote in an email that he has spoken with Smith about his comments, but said he is not able to discuss personnel issues.
He said that the school system doesn’t have a specific policy for social media use outside the workplace.
“RCPS has policies and regulations (GAB – RCPS Regulation – Acceptable Computer Use) regarding social media usage on our equipment during school and contract hours. We don’t, however, have any policies or regulations regarding social media use by employees on their own equipment during their own personal time,” he wrote.
Smith declined to comment about the situation, but released a statement on the RCPS Facebook page Monday afternoon:
“Over the past few days, many individuals have expressed concerns about comments made by me on social media.
“Those who know me know I am a man of strong convictions; for this, I make no apologies. My comments, however, were intemperate, impulsive, visceral, and unnecessarily personal.
“Over the past 32 years as an educator, I have never, and will never, make a decision out of a sense of vindictiveness or because of someone’s personal beliefs. In fact, such actions would be inconsistent with my core values.
“Rather, decisions will be made as they always have been: in accordance with the facts as they relate to the policies of the Radford City Schools, local, state, and federal law, and balancing the best interest of the individual with the necessity of maintaining a safe, orderly, and productive learning environment while protecting the due process rights of all involved.
“Let me assure you, the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of everyone under my leadership is of utmost importance to me.
“As has been the case in the past, I will work tirelessly to make Radford High School a safe, welcoming environment for all stakeholders, especially for all the students who walk through the doors of our school each and every day.
“In closing, I would like to apologize to any of you who feel I have violated your trust. My pledge to you is to do everything within my power to regain that trust.”
Horton was one of the first people to “like” and share the post, and responded to Smith’s statement with one of his own.
“I am very appreciative of Mr. Smith for his letter to our community.
Please help us all move on from this moment with a renewed spirit to work together to help make our City the best that it can be.
“Radford is a wonderful community and even in times where we might not agree on particular issues, we can respect and appreciate each other,” Horton wrote.
